Dredger.



No. 732538. PATENTED JUNE 30, 1903.

w;. H. FULOHER.

-DRBDGER.

APPLICATION FILED SEI-T. 4,1902.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED JUNE 30, 1903."

W. H. FULGHER.

DREDGER.

APPLICATION rmm SEPT. 4. 1902.

I 2 snnnrs snnm 2.

no MODEL.

UNITED STATES latented June 30, 190 3.

PATENT OFFicE.

WILLIAM H. FULCHER, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOHERMAN MURPHY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

DREDGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 732,538, dated June30, 1903. Application filed September 4, 1902. Serial No. 122,083. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. FULCHER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oak land, county of Alameda, State of California, haveinvented an Improvement in Dredges; and I hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for dredging andexcavating ma terial, and especially where'said material is locatedbeneath the surface of water.

It consists of the parts and the constructions and combinations of partswhich I will hereinafter describe and claim. a ,7

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the working parts of my apparatus.Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same. Fig. 3 is a side view of the drumsand. clutches for alternately actuating the disintegrators. Fig. 4 is aside view of the suction-pipe connection with the pump and thepivot-shaft thereof. Fig. 5 is a side view of aseries of buckets. Fig. 6is a plan view of the same. Fig. 7 is an enlarged plan 'view showing thesuction and hydraulic jet-pipe. Fig. Sis a sideview showing the stampsor disintegrators.

' and at the head of this channel, located upon the boat, is acentrifugal suction-pump 2.

3 is a suction-pipe opening centrally into one side of the suction-pumpand having a suitable tight turnable joint, as at 4, so that thesuction-pipe may be raised or lowered about the .axis of the pumpwithout disarranging the connections. Through the elbow by which thepipe is connected with tho-pump extends a pivot-shaft 5,which is axiallyin line with the turnable joint of the pump,andthese two form the propersupport for the part 3 of the pipe,which extends down through the openchannel of the float, with a segmental section 6 at the lower end, whichis curved downwardly, so as to'present the mouth contiguous to thesurface of material which is to be excavated. Upon each side of themouth of this suction-pipe are solid web-disks 7, having grooves uponthe periphery adapted to receive the ropes or links of the chains 8, andthese ropes serve to carry buckets 9, which are extended transverselybetween the ropes or chains 8 and are so constructed that the mouths orfront ends of the buckets as they travel will scoop up any materialwhich lies in their way.

The diameter of the disks 7 is such that the buckets will pass beneaththe mouth of the suction-pipe, and the buckets themselves are made withopen-work bottom and sides in the form of a grid, the openings of whichare large enough to allow finematerial, such as can be taken up by thesuction-pipe, to pass through them, but they arrest rocks or largematerial which cannot be taken up by the suction. Thus by the travel ofthe buckets all this coarse material is carried up simultaneously withthe movement of the finer material which isfdrawn into the suction-pipe,and this combination of suction and bucket carriersenables me to clearaway all the material of whatever character and to greatly increase theamount of work which can be done by the apparatus. In conjunction withthis apparatus I have shown a pipe 10 extending approximately parallelwith the suction-pipe or extending in suitable relation with the pipe 3and having the lower end curved and provided with a nozzle which isdirected into the suction-pipe and in line therewith, as shown at'll.Water-under pressure, either froma high head, when it can be thussupplied, or by the action of a force-pump or other forcing apparatus,is carried through this pipe and discharged through the nozzle into thesuction-pipe, thus aiding and assisting the action of the suctionpumpand when required serving to{ reduce the consistency of the material, sothat it will flow freely through the conducting-pipes and pump. From thesuction-pump the material is delivered through a discharge-pipe 12,

on the pivoted shaft 5 and in line with the axis of the pump, and thejournal-shaft of the disk 7 is here shown as being turnable in boxes 13upon a framework 171-. This framework is suspended by chains, as at 15,from blocks and ropes, forming a tackle, as at 16, by which theexcavating apparatus can be raised or lowered at will. A suitablederrickframe, as 17, supports and carries the upper blocks of thesystem, and from thesethe ropes lead to a wimling-drum 18, which may beactuated by suitable power apparatus, (not here shown,) so that wheneverrequired the digging apparatus can be raised or lowered.

Power to drive the endless chain of the buckets may be derived fromupper polygonal or sprocket wheels, as 19. These wheels are here shownas journaled in boxes 20, which are guided and adapted to move withinsegmental guides, as 21. The radius of the are of these guides is a linefrom the center and pivot-shaft of the pump 2, with which connectionsare made by timbers, as at 22, so that as the suctionpipe and chain ofbuckets are raised or lowered they turn about the axis of the pump 2 asa center, and the timbers 22 extending beyond and connecting with theboxes the latter are moved in the guidingare 21, so that the chain ofbuckets will not bedisarranged by these movements.

Power to drive the buckets is derived from the pulley sprocket wheel orother driver mounted upon the shaft of the driving-wheels 10, and towhich driver power may be transmitted through driving chains, belts, orgearing from an engine or source of power not here illustrated.

The driver 19 is here shown of polygonal form, and the surfaces of thebuckets fit these sides, so that the driver propels the buckets andthrough them the cables. The buckets have grips 9 projecting from thesides and secured to the cables. The disks around which the ropes passhave notches in their grooved peripheries, into which the grips fit asthey pass around the disks and by which they are driven in unison.

In order to disintegrate and break away hard material, such as compactedclay or cemented gravel and like hard material, I have shown a series ofvertically-movable disintegrators, which consist of stems 23, movable inguides, as 24, upon the framework 14. The lower ends of these slidableshafts or timbers 23 are provided with cutters 25, which may bewedge-shaped or pointed or have edges formed upon them, according to thecharacter of the material to be dislodged. From the upper ends of thesetimbers 23 ropes or chains 26 pass over suitable pulleys, supported bythe framework 1 '7, and thence extend to drums 27 on the float A. Powermaybe transmitted to rotate these drums in pairs by means of acentrally-located sprocket-wheel 28, mounted upon the journal-shaft andcarrying upon each side one member of a clutch, as 29. The

other member of each clutch, as 30, is carried by or turnable with oneof the drums 27. The

,members 29 of the clutches are slidable upon feathers on the shaft ofthe sprocket-wheel 28 and have levers 31, by which they may be movedinto or out of engagement with the members 30 of the drums. These levers3]. are actuated alternately by a cam 32, turnable with thesprocket-wheel and so constructed that it will alternately engage anddisengage the clutches upon opposite sides. Thus when by its revolutionit has engaged the members of the clutches upon one side the drum uponthat side will be revolved and through the connecting-ropes will liftthe disintegrator or stamper 23 until the clutch has been disengaged bythe revolution of the cam. This will allow the stamp to drop and strikethe material beneath with a force commensurate with .up by thesuction-pipe, and with the aid of the injector and the pump will berapidly carried upward to any desired point of delivery.

The larger material, which cannot pass into the suction-pipe, will beconstantly removed by the chain of buckets and in the same mannerdelivered above the surface at any desired point.

It will be understood that the buckets may discharge at the upper endupon suitable endless carriers or into chutes or receivers, as may bedesired.

In order to prevent the coarser material being drawn up between thebuckets by the suction-pipe, I have shown open-work frames similar inconstruction to the buckets and connected with the ropes or chainsbetween adjacent buckets so as to approximately fill this space. Theconnection with the ropes is such that the plates are about even withthe tops of the buckets as they pass around the lower drum and below thesuction-pipe, and they form with the buckets a grid or network withmeshes of sufficient size to allow all ma terial to pass which can bereceived by the pipe, while the coarser material will be retaineduandremoved by the buckets. These plates also assist to discharge thematerial when the buckets are inverted in passing over the upper drum.Cushions are interposed to prevent the stamp-stem from striking theframe if the stamps drop too low.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, .is

1. The combination in a dredgerof a suction apparatus and a chain ofbuckets traveling IIO proximate to the inlet of said apparatus saidbuckets having open-work grids to allow the finer material to enter thesuction-pipe and to arrest the coarse material.

2. The combination in adredging apparatus of a suction-pump, a pipeconnected therewith having a mouth or inlet contiguous to the in aterialto be withdrawn, an endless chain of buckets movable with relation tothe mouth of the suction-pipe and adapted to convey away the coarsermaterial said buckets provided with open-work grids to allow the finermaterial to enter the suction-pipe and to arrest the coarse material.

3. The combination in a dredging apparatus of a suction-pump and a pipeconnected therewith and having its inlet contiguous to the material tobe withdrawn, and a chain of buckets said buckets provided with openworkgrids to allow the finer material to enter the suction-pipe and toarrest the coarse material.

4. The combination in a dredger of a suction carrier-wheels consistingof solid web-disks located upon each side, and inclosing the mouth ofthe pipe, endless ropes or chains passing around said carriers andbuckets carried bysaid ropes adapted to operate in unison with thesuction apparatus.

6. The combination in a dredger of a suction-pump, a pipe thereforhaving its mouth located contiguous to the material to be with-..

drawn, an endless chain of buckets movable adjacent to the mouth of thesuction-pipe, said buckets being formed with openings whereby thecoarser material is retained and carried by the buckets, and the finermaterial escapes to be taken up by the suction-pipe.

7. The combination in a dredge of an endless chain of open-work bucketswith carrierwheels and drivers around which the buckets pass, thecarriers at the lower end being in the form of closed or solidweb-disks, a suction-, pump, the pipe of which has its mouth openingbetween and inclosed by said disks and a hydraulic injector discharginginto the suction-pipe.

S. The combination in a dredge of an excavating apparatus, a dredge uponwhich the upper end thereof is carried and about which the lower end ismovable, means for raising and lowering said lower end,disintegratingstamps located contiguous to the excavating portion, andmeans for raising and' dropping said stamps, said means consisting ofhoisting ropes, drums about which they are wound, means for engaging anddisengaging the drums with the driver, consisting of clutches andmechanism by which the clutches are actuated to alternately engage anddisengage.

9. The combination in a dredge of a float, a suction-pump carriedthereon, a suction-pipe connected with the pump having its inletmouthlocated contiguous to the material to be excavated, an endless chain ofbuckets,

sprocket-wheels journaled upon each side of.

the suction-pipe inlet about which the lower ends of the chains orcables pass, drivers or sprockets about which the upper ends of thechains pass, segmental guides in which the journal-boxes of thedriving-wheels are slidable, said guides having'a curvature concentricwith the axis of the suction-pump.

10. The combination in a dredger of a suction-pipe, a chain of buckets,carrier-wheels therefor at each side of the lower end of the pipe, asuctionpump with which the upper end of the pipe is connected, a ladderupon which the excavating devices are carried, said ladder beingturnable about the pump-axis and having extensions rearwardly therefrom,and a driver for the chain of buckets located upon said extension.

11. The combination in a dredger of a suction-pipe and an endless chainof buckets operating in unison, a ladder upon which said excavators arecarried, a suction-pump, journals in line with its axis about which theladder is turnable, an extension of the ladder rearwardly from the pump,a driver for the chain of buckets mounted upon said. extension, andsegmental guides in which the journal-boxes of the driver are movable.

12. The combination in a dredger of a suction-pipe and an endless chainof buckets operating in unison,said buckets movable beneath thesuction-pipe and being formed with open-work meshes to allow the finermaterial to enter the suction-pipe and to arrest the coarse material.

13. The combination in a dredger of a suction-pipe and an endless chainof buckets operating in unison and with relation to each other as shown,and open-work grids extending between the buckets.

14. The combination in a dredger of a suction-pipe and an endless chainof buckets adapted to pass between the mouth of the suction-pipe and thematerial to be excavated, said buckets being formed with open meshes,and open grids extending between the buckets and movable in unisontherewith whereby the coarser material is separated from the finer andprevented from entering the pipe.

15. In a dredger, an endless chain of buckets, cables passing aroundgrooved disks at each side at the upper and lowerends, grips projectingfrom the sides of the buckets to connect them with the cables, and apolygonal driver having surfaces which register with the contactingbucket-surfaces, whereby power is transmitted to drive the bucket-chain.

16. In a dredger, an endless chain of buckets, cables passing aroundgrooved disks at IIO each side and the upper and lower ends, grips Inwitness whereof I have hereunto set my projecting from the sides of thebuckets and I hand.

connecting them with the cables notches in 7 s- 7 1 1 the peripheries ofthe disks into which the ILLIAM LULQHER' 5 grips fit as they pass, and apolygonal driver Vitnesses:

upon which the surfaces of the buckets regis- S. H. N OURSE,

ter and through which power is transmitted. JESSIE O. BRODIE.

